The Knight of Zero
by Xia M
Summary: In the end, his death didn't matter that much. ::Suzaku Centered:: ::Possible spoilers:: ::One-Shot::


_**A/N: **__Yo! o/ Ok, so before any of my weird notes, I got to thank EVERYONE who reviewed and/or added to their favorites my other fanfic "Witch". I never thought the story would get so much attention; I was really insecure about it, especially because of my English, but then there was a BOOM on my mail box! That made me really happy. n.n So, THANKS EVERYONE, YOU GUYS ROCK! 8D_

_Ok, now's the time for my weird notes. This story is another translation from Portuguese (my mother language), and it probably sounds a lot better in Portuguese then in English. However, I did my best to make it sound good. n.n It's kind of a recap of the troubled friendship between Suzaku and Lelouch. The storyline is centered on Suzaku's point of view and it's narrated in second person. Also, there are no intentions of yaoi, just friendship and some Suzaku x Euphemia. Hope you like it!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch does not belong to me. This was written only for fun. C:_

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**The Knight of Zero**

-x-

Suzaku, you hate Zero… don't you?

You hate everything there is to hate about that man. His exaggerated posture, his arrogant tone, his melodramatic phrases, his ideals, his actions, his way of taking action, his kind of justice. Killing for the sake of achieving his goals. Applicator of the so repeated phrase _"the end justifies the means". _You hate it all, Suzaku.

To achieve your own goals, you predisposed yourself at the service of the Britannian army and took as personal mission to capture Zero, the man who saved you from certain death. A death that you would have accepted gladly, Suzaku. However, for the sake of peace, you were going to capture him and deliver his head to the leaders of the Empire. Even if you had to die for it.

But this was until _that_ happened.

Suzaku, you liked Euphemia.

_Euphemia li Britannia._ The third princess. The princess that fell from heaven. _Literally_.

You liked her sweet way of being, her way of thinking, her way of taking action. Everything about her made you smile. Everything about her gave you confidence, strength, and courage to continue. For her, you even started to like you a little… Suzaku, you were in love. You were her knight, her protector, chosen among so many renowned Britannians. But, against everything and everyone, she chose you. And you, unconsciously, had already chosen her as well.

It was then that everything crashed. Euphemia, sweet and innocent Euphemia, gave the order to kill the Japanese. Kill the _elevens_. Actually, Euphemia _killed_ the elevens. One by one, with a dirty and heavy gun on her soft and gentle hands, repeating words that she didn't believe in, annihilating them with eyes that were no longer hers.

You were willing to save her, bring her back to reason, when _he _showed up and… _**killed her.**_ Zero killed her, Suzaku. He shot her and caused her death. Zero, Suzaku, killed Euphemia, the woman you loved with all your heart.

Your resolution changed. Deliver him to leaders of the Empire? Of course! But it wouldn't be alive, for sure. You would kill Zero, Suzaku, to avenge the death of sweet and naive Euphemia, who trusted the most wanted killer of Britannia.

It was then that a strange boy, with long hair and girlish looks, appeared from nowhere and told you the truth. The _whole_ truth. Zero was… _Lelouch_.

Suzaku, you like Lelouch.

_Lelouch vi Britannia_. _Lelouch Lamperouge_. _Lulu_.

It doesn't matter the name by which he is called, you like him. That proud and weak boy that appeared in your house with his younger sister, just like that. You like that arrogant Britannian of whom you shared games, ideas, fights and dreams. You like him. You're his friend. And, deep down, you know you were his first friend. _His best friend._

But, your friend is… Zero. Lelouch is Zero. Zero is Lelouch. You hate Zero. Euphemia's killer, Britannia's enemy. So… if you hate Zero and Zero is Lelouch… Suzaku, you hate Lelouch. _You hate your best friend._

And you hated him, for real. Following him to that island, chasing him with the gun ready to shoot, ordering him to turn around, in all of those moments you hated Lelouch, Euphemia's killer. _Zero._ But that hate vanished when you shot him and that symbolic mask broke in half, revealing Lelouch's face. Then there was just sadness and disappointment, feelings you were able to disguise very well as just hate.

The hate in threatening him to death, the hate that made you shoot and take him to the Emperor's feet, treating him like the low and miserable man he is. Treating him like a killer. _Euphemia's killer._

Suzaku… now you hate Lelouch.

You hate every life he took, all the battles he caused, all the people he used and dismissed, like mere pawns. You hate the way he found to fight, the way he sees the world, the way he faces things. You hate even more the damned order he gave you, to live at any cost, when all you want is to die.

Knight of Seven, Kururugi Suzaku, the traitor of the Japanese, the man that delivered Zero to the Emperor and ended his miracles, the man that betrayed his best friend for Britannia and for power. It's a nice combination, don't you think, Suzaku? Worthy of you, the man who killed his own father.

But you don't have any regrets. Without Zero, the problems seemed to be calming down on Area 11. The new Lelouch, properly watched, was really convenient. Now you were closer to your goal, being the Knight of One and take care of your country, Japan.

Then… _he_ appeared again. Zero.

Everybody turned to Lelouch, but it looked like it wasn't Lelouch. So who was this new Zero, Suzaku? The one who wanted to carry on the sins of your best friend, the man you hated most in the world?

It isn't Lelouch, that's what they would tell you every time you asked. But each cell of your body screamed repeatedly that the masked man was him indeed. Your biggest enemy, Lelouch.

Suspicious as only you can be, you went to watch him. You provoked him in any way possible, followed him, analyzed him but… Lelouch was still just Lelouch. With the conclusion in front of your eyes you kept feeling deceived. However, you were satisfied that this new Zero wasn't him, your enemy.

Suzaku, too bad, you were deceived again. Lelouch lied again, in ways you thought were impossible. He mislead you again, Suzaku. Something that you only realized whit _his_ call, a call from the man you hate the most.

The hate burned inside you, Suzaku. You wanted to tear him down, destroy him, _kill him_! You wanted him to understand that you would never forgive him, ever, in all of your cursed life, you would forgive that… _liar, cheater, disgusting, ridiculous, pathetic, miserable, killer_. You would never forgive him.

And you humiliated him, Suzaku.

You made him feel your anger, your hate, and your sadness. That explosion of feelings that had been inside of you for so long, you finally got rid of it, dumping it cruelly over him. And then, you could think clearly.

A new feeling was born inside you, one that you did not know. Then you realized the truth. Lelouch's truth. Zero's truth. Your own truth.

To every question you made, he lied. He accepted all the guilt, desperate with the safety of his beloved sister, a safety you should trust him with. He lied, just like you.

You understand now, don't you? You don't really hate him. Forgiveness, that would not be the right word, but there was a way for him to atone for his sins. And that was enough for you.

You decided to help him, Suzaku.

Ironic, right? In the end, you worked for Zero, the man you hated for the countless crimes he committed. But you didn't feel sad. You didn't feel any anger, hate or doubts about what you were supposed to do. You were secure, confident, certain of your decisions and, who knows, even happy for helping him. _Him_. Lelouch, the new Emperor of Britannia.

You became his sword, his right arm, his man of trust, his knight. You became the Knight of Zero, a name you acknowledged with the greatest pride you have ever had.

You saw him plan that last move; you felt his pressure, his nerves, his uncertainty and his pain. You fought under his orders, you defeated enemies and old comrades under his orders and, also, you died under his orders.

It was then that he gave it to you, Suzaku. The mask you hated so much. The symbol you denied and despised for so long. _The mask of Zero_. It was for you.

Lelouch brought so much irony with him, don't you think, Suzaku?

Your atonement would be your motive of hate, the name of the man who killed the woman you loved, the name that the whole world hated, the name that, in the end, you defended with all your honor and courage. That name was going to be yours. You, Kururugi Suzaku, were going to be Zero.

_The Zero Requiem_… He did it, Suzaku. And you helped him.

Have you ever thought if it had always been like this? If you had always been on the same side, fighting for the same thing? Would she… be alive right now? All the lives that were lost, would they still exist?

You'd rather forget that, don't you? Like the last order from your last master and best friend. Lelouch's order. The order to kill him and finally bring peace to the world.

When the sword penetrated his skinny body, staining his white robes, your tears reached your eyes in the same moment. Now comes the usual question: why are you crying, Suzaku? Wasn't this what you wanted? The death of Zero? The death of the man that held back peace and killed Euphy? Wasn't this what you wanted?

Ahh, Suzaku, even without knowing, you had already forgiven him.

That shattered heart of yours had already forgiven all the wrong actions of your enemy and best friend, Lelouch. If you didn't wanted the world peace he also desired, maybe you would have never put on that mask and would have never fulfilled the promise you made to yourself. Maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't have killed him.

Suzaku, it seems that, in the end, his death did not matter after all.

-x-

_**Owari**_

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_**A/N: **__Well… that's it! 8D As I said before, I think it sounds better in Portuguese, but I like how it stayed in English too. Hope you guys feel the same. The end was the hardest part, I got to admit that. Also, if there are any mistakes, feel free to tell and I'll be sure to correct them as soon as possible. And… review any time you want! =D_

_Bye!~ _


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